Born in 1976 and resurrected again in 2022, Girard-Perregaux marks the impending arrival of spring with the release of the Girard-Perregaux Casquette 2.0. The rebirth of the timepiece comes after Girard-Perregaux released the piece unique Casquette – Only Watch Edition in partnership with Bamford Watch Department for the biennial Only Watch auction. Who would have thought that the Only Watch Edition was a teaser for what is to come, except a select group of eagle-eyed collectors who noted a new calibre being developed for the Casquette – Only Watch Edition. Surely enough, it paved the way for the second generation of the Casquette.
In 1976, Girard-Perregaux debuted the futuristic Casquette characterised by a quartz-powered tubular LED display and the structure of a 1970s muscle car. Incidentally, it bore the name Reference 9931 from the start until aficionados gave it the Casquette moniker later on. Its production period was short-lived as production was halted in 1978, two years after it exploded onto the scene. A total of 8200 pieces were made, each of which became sought after examples by collectors as the vintage watch market began to appreciate over the past decade.
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44 years on, the zeitgeist returns, this time encased in a sleek scratch-resistant ceramic case emblazoned with a period GP logo and replete with a Grade 5 titanium case back. Both materials, known for their lightweight and hypoallergenic properties, contribute significantly to the Girard-Perregaux Casquette 2.0’s wearing comfort with the help of the rubber-lined ceramic bracelet.
In common with the original Casquette, the Girard-Perregaux Casquette 2.0 displays the hours, minutes, seconds, day, and date. However, the new movement comes with some additional functions, including the month, year, chronograph, second-time zone and secret date. The latter function allows the wearer to save a memorable date of the wearer’s choosing. The secret date (date, month and year) can be shown each day at a time specified by the wearer. To preserve battery life, the time can be viewed on-demand, allowing the battery to last up to two years assuming time is checked 20 times per day.
Since only 8200 pieces of the Casquette were produced, the Girard-Perregaux Casquette 2.0 will be limited to 820 pieces. The watch will be available for pre-order on the Girard-Perregaux website till 7 March before being made available to selected retailers around the world.
